After our weekend in Edinburgh, Ian had to go back to work and left us with the car to do some more sight seeing. You all will be happy to know that my driving skills have greatly improved over the past week. Being forced to drive with passengers gave me plenty of practice and more confidence in myself as an Aberdonian driver. (By the way, Aberdonian is the name for people that live in Aberdeen!) I can now successfully maneuver my way around the roundabouts without getting peeped (honked) at and I haven’t sideswiped any more mirrors. Now, I would not say that I am a pro or even that good at driving, but at least I am safe.

During the week I drove us to see Dunnotar Castle in Stonehaven. Stonehaven is the city just 15 minutes to the south of Aberdeen that Ian and I had visited before. We had not been to the castle yet, so this was a new experience for me. I have to say that it was by far my favorite castle of all that I saw during the week, which in total was five I think. Unlike the castle in Edinburgh, Dunnotar is completely in ruins, so there are not museums or anything within the castle, just the beauty of the castle itself is what is so striking. It sits up on a cliff with stunning ocean views all around it. The cliffs surrounding the castle have become somewhat of a bird sanctuary, with several varieties of birds nesting in the cliffs. While touring the castle, watching all of the birds, and taking in the stunning ocean views, I really thought to myself . . . “I can’t believe I live here!” It was a great experience and for anyone who is coming to visit, we will be making this a priority of places to visit while you are here. Check out the pictures, but they don’t do due justice to the real deal.

Another trip that we took with MaryAnn and Erin was to the city of Inverness and to the Loch Ness. Inverness is approximately 2 hours drive from Aberdeen to the northwest. The city sits on the River Ness which flows from Loch Ness. Inverness is one of the most picturesque cities that I have ever seen. The city and river sit nestled in a valley among the most beautiful green mountains. The main strip of the city is on both sides of gorgeous River Ness with walking bridges in between. We had a late dinner on the night of our arrival at a restaurant that overlooked the river with fabulous views of the sun setting behind the mountains. GORGEOUS! The next day we were off for a tour of Loch Ness which was about 15 minutes from the city of Inverness. We took a short boat trip on the Loch and I found it very eerie with the almost black water that was near 800 ft deep throughout the majority of it. We visited Urqhart Castle that is situated on the Loch and is currently in mostly ruins. It was quite beautiful as well! Unfortunately, “Nessie”, the Loch Ness monster did not show herself while we were there. It was chilly and raining, so I am thinking that she stayed under to keep out of the weather. Maybe on our next visit she will show herself . . . .

So, as you can see we had a busy exciting week of sightseeing in our new home country of Scotland! I got to see a great deal of the countryside and it left me feeling eager to see more. Check back tomorrow for my next posting that I am working on with details of Ian and mine’s experience of The Highland Games. Take care!